Hi to all,I was so looking forward to taking the family to South Africa next August, climbing table Mountain, walking on the beaches etc but the more I read the less sure I am about the whole idea. Is it Ok to walk on Table Mountain? Will we have to attach ourselves to a group of tourists? When driving the coast in the Cape Town area, if we see a beautiful beach but with no one on it, should we think twice about going for a walk?I'm a birder - do I have to forget the idea or leaving the family somewhere and wandering off to do a bit of birding on my own? Am I just getting paranoid? I know most of you will probably say "oh it only happens to an unlucky few" but if that's us!Thanks in advance for any adviceTim

You can enjoy deserted beaches within the Cape Point protect reserve without any concerns - my top tip is Platboom or Olifantsbos beaches on the Atlantic side 5 minutes drive from the Cape of Good Hope.

Other deserted beaches like Noordhoek (near Chapman's Peak) are fine as well, although a few years ago there was the occasional mugging on the Masiphumelele/Kommetjie side of the 13 km beach.

That said I haven't heard of problems here for years. There was a mugging near Hout Bay up in the mountains above the Imizamo Yethu informal settlement, earlier this year and a couple on Signal Hill and at Sandy Bay. The crime on the mountain chain has been massively cut though the last 12 months.

You have to remember that the National Park is massive and contains mountains and beaches which are on occasion adjacent to built up areas.. Thus you have to treat it as a city park; indeed Hyde Park in London has lots of muggings and stabbings, but seeing the huge number of visitors, it doesn't mean you are at a high risk.

I can highly recommend Platteklip Gorge walk (park near the cable car station and take the car down once on top), Kasteelspoort hike (park on Theresa Avenue, Camps Bay). Other good walks include Skeleton Gorge (start and finish from Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens) and numerous walks on the peninsula.

We have always done walks as an "isolated" couple in all the above recommended beaches and the three walks above.. It sounds like the petty thefts along the Table Mountain National Park are under control. Go and enjoy the stunning scenery!

[quote][/quoYou have to remember that the National Park is massive and contains mountains and beaches which are on occasion adjacent to built up areas.. Thus you have to treat it as a city park; indeed Hyde Park in London has lots of muggings and stabbings, but seeing the huge number of visitors, it doesn't mean you are at a high risk.quote]

Do not want to appear impolite Graham, but jmo, I live in walking distance of Hyde Park (in Chelsea) and would think nothing of walking alone in the park and often cut through on foot from Mayfair to Knightsbridge or, when my niece and nephew were toddlers, took them on their little scooters for a picnic on the grass.

In 2009/2010 there were 619 murders in England and Wales. Random attacks happen, but they are rare. The homicide numbers are 11 murders per million people.

It is a good idea to put pressure on the powers that be to improve safety on TMNP, as Cape Town is an inportant revenue earner for South Africa.

Having been mugged at knife point, I don't view Hyde Park as you do, although it is certainly safer than my local park in south London, I have just had bad luck. I wasn't making a comparison of the crime between the nations and agree the authorities need to be encouraged to continue to do more to curb the muggings along the TMNP chain as these are not good for the city as a whole.

I was in fact pointing out that TMNP should be treated as an urban park from the point of view of safety. At the same time I was trying to encourage Tim to enjoy the park as it is clear improvements have been made this year, although more could always be done. Dan Plato mentioned earlier this year in a press conference that during bad months as many as 30 people were mugged across the park. I don't know how many people visit the park per month though. Thank goodness the increase in officers and dogs has reduced the problem, but seeing as even one act of crime is an issue there is more to be done.

I live near your brother and mother! I reported it. Got away unscathed as had a load of coins in my coat pocket which I flung at his feet before running away. He pulled a knife asking for my phone. Could have been a lot worse. I should have listened to him and not risked it. I was cutting through Hyde Park in the dark in winter - about 7pm.

I am sure you will agree though that Tim Robinson can have a lovely time hiking in the areas I recommended?

Graham_5000 wrote:I live near your brother and mother! I reported it. Got away unscathed as had a load of coins in my coat pocket which I flung at his feet before running away. He pulled a knife asking for my phone. Could have been a lot worse. I should have listened to him and not risked it. I was cutting through Hyde Park in the dark in winter - about 7pm.

I am sure you will agree though that Tim Robinson can have a lovely time hiking in the areas I recommended?

I am not a hiker Graham, so would not advise anyone on the safety of hiking in any areas of the Cape. Although, last time I was there it was beautiful walking around the Bay with my host.

It may not have been the best idea for you to walk through a park at night although, many do it and I used to cut through St James' Park at night when I worked in the area.

The month of November was particularly dry and windy and TMNP fire officials therefore expect a busy fire season in the months ahead. The expected adverse weather conditions will lead to an increase of fire flare-ups during this coming season.

The Park’s preparation for the 2012/13 fire season was severely tested over the past two days with four fires across the peninsula: one in Newlands Forest on Tuesday 4 December, and two on Wednesday 5 December – the first between Deer Park Drive and Molteno Road on the lower slopes of Table Mountain in the early hours of the morning and the second on Ou Kaapse Weg around midday. A fourth fire was reported in Ocean View also on Wednesday 5 December.

The current status of the fire at Deer Park:

There is still a lot of smoke in the area due to stumps still smouldering. The current crews will be replaced by fresh crews at 16h00 on Wednesday who will monitor the area over the next two days to ensure that the blaze is completely extinguished.

The TMNP fire crews, which includes the Volunteer Wildfire Services, are assisted by crews from the government-funded Working on Fire (WoF) programme as well as 2 medium size helicopters (one contracted through WoF and another supplied by the Provincial Disaster Management) stationed at the SANParks Fire Base at Newlands. They are on high alert and all resources will be dispatched immediately when a fire call is received from anywhere within the Park.

Due to an agreement signed between TMNP and the WoF Programme, TMNP will also be able to call in additional resources (hand crews as well as helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft) during periods of extended attack.

TMNP fire officials requests the public to exercise extreme caution during the fire season and to only braai in designated braai areas, not make any illegal fires and to discard cigarette butts safely and not by throwing them out of vehicle windows.

The general public is also requested to immediately report all fires within TMNP at 0861 106 417 or the City of Cape Town Fire Services at 107 or 021 480 7700 (from a cell phone).

Was in CT a week ago and thankfully didn't see any fires on the Table. We wanted to hike up Skeleton Gorge, but the constant and ubiquitous warnings about potential muggings deterred us; especially the ladies. I'd absolutely love to do this walk, but am now not sure whether it is worth the risk. My gut instinct tells me that, if the hike was indeed too dangerous, then the paths would be closed by officials. I will research more and consider an avenue forward next time we go. Pity I didn't get to read this thread before I left as things recently do look a lot better on TMNP.

I have suggested to the Table Mountain National Park that they should provide adequate security by employing sufficient wardens . The big problem of course is financial---but I reckon this could easily be overcome by charging for entrance to the Mountain including Sandy Bay area. I have suggested a Day Pass be set at R50 which tourists can easily afford ----and CT Residents can buy a Green Card for yearly access. The Revenue from charging for access would enable the Parks Board to employ extra wardens which would increase the safety factor which would bring in more revenue . CAN MORE PEOPLE WRITE TO THE TMNP TO SUPPORT MY SUGGESTION PLEASE.